Phnom Penh: The National Minimum Wage Council is scheduled to commence negotiations for the 2025 wage for workers in Cambodia's garment, footwear, bag, and travel products sectors on the afternoon of September 19, 2024.

In the fourth round of talks held on September 12, a meeting was convened to determine the minimum wage for 2025. Workers' representatives proposed three different figures, while employers suggested maintaining the current wage at $2.

The total number of meetings regarding the minimum wage amounted to 11, which included four tripartite meetings, four internal meetings with workers' representatives, and three meetings with employers' representatives.

Both sides continued to professionally and maturely explain their positions to each other. Meanwhile, representatives of the Royal Government continued to coordinate and provide additional explanations regarding the social and economic criteria to both the workers' representatives and the employers' representatives.

As a result, workers' representatives proposed three different growth figures: $6, $7, and $10 above the current wage of $204. They also submitted seven proposals to the Ministry of Labor and Vocational Training, as well as to the Royal Government, for consideration in addressing these issues.

Separately, representatives of employers proposed to maintain a growth figure of $2 above the current wage of $204. They will submit additional proposals during the final meeting on September 19, 2024.